Gear-drive for rolling-mills.



C. J. GIBBONS & P. C. FARWELL.

GEAR DRIVE FOR ROLLING MILLS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 30. 1914.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

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(3.1. GIBBONS & P. C. FARWELL.

GEAR DRIVE FOR ROLLING MILLS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30. 1914.

1.158 47%, Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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C. J. GIBBONS & P. C. FARWELL.

GEAR DRIVE FOR ROLLING MILLS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.30, 1914.

l,158,4?9. Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES: INVENTOHS @hafieb J fl lfibons WM a? Emmy U Eawweli CHARLESJOHN GIBBONS, on NEW MILFORD, Arm PERCY C. FARWELL, or BRID'GEPORT,CONNECTICUT.

GEAR-DRIVE FOR ROLLING-MILLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

Application filed April 30, 1914. Serial No. 835,422.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, CHARLES J. GiBBoNs,

of New Milford, Litchfield county, Connecticut, and PERCY G. FARWELL, ofBr dgeport, Fairfield county, Connecticut, citizens of the UnitedStates, have invented cert-am new and useful Improvements in Gear-Drives for Rolling-Mills, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in gear drives forrolling mills, such as are used for rolling metals, rubber and othermaterials into bars, bands, strips, sheets, plates, and special shapes.

The objects of the invention are to produce an improved form ofrolling'mill drive for three high mills, so called, all of Which isself-contained, and in which the pitch diameter of the roll drivingpinions exceeds the diameter of the driven rolls, thus obviating arecognized weaknessin the present type of rolling mill drives; toinclude in our design an improved form of gearing and the relationshipof the gears, one to the other, which will permit and provide for thelocation of several rolling mills on each end of the drive, in a mannerwhich will make it possible to employ one or all of the rolling mills atthe same time and when operating two or more of the rolling mills tomore evenly distribute the load factor incidental thereto, thusmaterially eliminating the objectionable irregular rolling mill loadswhich are common with the present ordinary forms of rolling mill driveswhether driven by electric motor, steam engine or Water power; toparticularly construct said gear drive. so that any number of saidrolling mills may be arranged upon and driven from each end of the driveand directly connected with the driving pinions of said gear drive, thusthe better to balance the load, this being a direct advantage to thesource of power. Further to provide a self-contained drive for threehigh rolling mills, wherein there is a large anvil roll, a smallfriction work roll, and a large supporting roll for the small work roll,with roll driving pinions whose pitch diameter is larger than thediameter of the driven rolls, whereby an increased amount of power orleverage is obtained, so that a greater amount of work may be producedwith a given amount of initial power, and further to so arrange saiddevice asto insure an economical self-contained gear drive forcontinuous mills in a simple, eflicient and practical way; further to sodesign and arrange the parts that the roll driving pinions and theinternal gear driving the same will be completely housed together andform a compact and protected driving mechanism.

YVith the above and other objects in view our invention resides andconsists in the novel construction, arrangement and assemblage of partsshown upon the accompanying three sheets of drawings forming a part ofthis specification, upon which similar characters of reference designatelike or corresponding parts throughout the several figures, and of whichFigure 1 shows a top plan view of our improved form of rolling milldrive, the same being shown connected with a rolling mill such as it isdesigned to operate; Fig. 2' is an end or side view of the drive as'seenfrom line 2 of F ig. 4:. Fig. 3 is a detached side elevation of thelarge rotary gear. member and the inclosed pinions operated there by,and mounted upon the d'riving' shafts to which the mills are coupled.Fig. 45 is a central vertical sectional view through the drive andshowing a rolling mill connected to each side thereof, and Fig. 5 showsa central vertical longitudinal sectional view through a modified formof the drive and connected to a pair of mills as in Fig. 4.

It will be obvious that our improved formof drive like others of itsclass, maybe operated from any suitable source of power, as for instancein the accompanying illustration we have shown the same operatively.connected with a suitable electric motor 6. This motor is preferablymounted upon the same floor as the drive and mills, and its motor shaft?is connected with a pinion 8 that meshes directly with the drive.

Our improved form of drive is made possible through the employment of aparticular relationship of gears mounted and arranged in the mannershown and which as before stated is adapted to be directly connectedwith and drives two or morerolling mills when set in alinement with eachother, and upon the same or upon opposite sides of the drive. Thedriving member 9 is preferably in the form of a gear and is of arelatively large diameter and has its flanged or peripheral face cast orcut to form the outer or larger gear 10 which meshes with and is drivenby the pinion 8 before mentioned. The central or hub portion 11 of thiswheel is finished to form a bearing 12 which is supported and rotatablyoperates in bearings 13-13 formed in housings 14.1l upon the oppositesides of the said driving member. These housings are mounted on asuitable bed plate 15 and are thus adapted to support and providebearings for the hub of the large driving member. Each of thesehousings'may be formed in one or two parts and may include a base 16 anda cap 17 which is secured to the base by screw bolts 18. An opening 19is left in each of these members of the uprights to form a guide- Wayfor bearing'boxes or chucks 20 which are arranged in pairs one above theother, and one pair in each opening and in vertical alinement to providebearings for shafts 22 and 23. A series of gear teeth 21 are formed inthe inner faeeof the hub 11 of the large gear 9. Thus the large wheel asconstructed forms both an external and an internal gear and has itsannular operative bearing intermediate of the said external and internalgear faces, so as not to form any obstructions such as webs orinclosures across either side of the said internal gear, but is arrangedin a way to leave the internal gear perfectly clear and free foroperation past and around the connected parts.

The drive further includes two driven gear pinions 26 and 27 and shafts22 and 23, which in practice aline with the roll shafts of the rollingmill rolls and are connected with the usual form of coupling boxes 24.and spindles 25. These driven shafts 22 and 23are journaled in thebefore mentioned bearing boxes 20 which as previously stated areslidably mounted in the said housings.

Provision being made to keep the small pinion gears 26 and 27 in propermesh in the internal gear 21.' Pinions 26 and 27 are mounted upon therespective driven shafts 22 and 23' andmesh With the internal gear 21and are rotated, each in the same direction thereby. The relative sizeof the said to the other in every instance where it is transmitted andthat advantage is obtained by imparting the power from the small andrapidly driven pinion 8 upon the motor shaft 7 to the largeexternal gear10 and again by transmitting the power from the large internalgear 21 tothe small pinions 26"and 27 which are driven in the same direction andthe speed ratio of'the internal gear 21 to the pinions 26 and 27 beingabout three to seven.

28 and 29 represent rolling mills which may be of the usual or anypreferred construction. As illustrated these mills include housings30-30 in which boxes and bearings are placed to support the driven rolls31 and 32 and friction or work roll The Wabbler ends of these drivenrolls project through the standards so as to be directly connected withthe dri e or so that a second mill of like construction can be coupledto those shown or arranged next to the drive so as to operate two ormore mills from one drive and on each end thereof.

In Fig. 5 we have shown the annular bearings 13 of the housings 1-1shaped to form an external bearing instead of an internal bearing as inFig. 4. The hub of the large gear in this form is flanged to formannular internal bearings l2 into which the before mentioned bearings 13extend for supporting the wheel. This modification thus forms a reverseconstruction of bearing from the preferred form, and one which justlycomes within the scope of our invention.

Our improved form of mechanism makes it possible to drive a single mill,a pair of mills or two or more pairs as the case may require and fromeach end of the drive. WVe find in practice that the mills operate moreeconomically and better if the same number are employed upon each sideof the drive and which arrangement is made possible by our improvedconstruction, wherein the two pinions and shafts are employed and bothshafts extend throughout and clear of the main driving wheel in themanner shown and described.

From the foregoing it will be noted that we have produced a drivewherein the driving inions (2(3 and 27) have a larger pitch diameterthan the rolls 31 and 32 which they drive, which is a feature that sofar as we know has not been accomplished heretofore. This increaseddiameter adds materially to the life of the pinions and is a big factorin the rolling mill work.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is 1. In a rolling mill drix e of the class described,the eombination of a rotary driving member including an internal gearhaving its central portion entirely open and free, a pair of pinionswithin the gear, shafts upon which the pinions are mounted and extendingentirely through the said driving member. V

2. In a rolling mill drive of the class described, the eombination of arotary member including an internal gear and having an external annularhub surrounding the said gear, bearings to receive and support the saidhub, pinions meshing with the said internal gear, and a shaft extendingthrough each of the said pinions and having their ends extended forconnection to a rolling mill.

3. In a rolling mill drive of the class described, the combination of arotary driving member including an internal gear having its centralportions entirely open and free, a pair of pinions within the gear,couplings connected with the two sides of each pinion for connectionwith one or more rolling mills on one or both ends of said pinionshafts.

l. In a rolling mill drive of the class described, the combination of arotary member including an internal gear and having an external annularhub surrounding the said gear, hearings to receive and support the saidhub, pinions meshing with the said internal gear, and a shaft extendingfrom each side of the said pinions for connection with a rolling mill.

5. In a rolling mill drive of the class described, the combination witha rotary driving member having an external and internal gear, a pair ofdriven shafts extending entirely through the central portion of saiddriven member and its internal gear, and pinions upon each of the saiddriving shafts that mesh with and are operated by the said internalgear.

6. In a rolling mill drive of the class described, the combination of arotary member including an internal gear,.a pinion within the gear, ashaft extending from each side of the gear, and connections on saidshafts for attachment to a rolling mill.

7. In a rolling mill drive of the class described, the combination of arotary member including an internal gear, a pair of pinions inside ofthe gear, shafts upon which the gears are mounted and extending outwardon each side of the drive for the connection of a mill.

8. In a rolling mill drive of the class de scribed, the combination of arotary member including an internal and external gear and having anannular bearing surrounding the said internal gear, an upright upon eachside of the rotary member to engage and support the said gear bearings,pinions operated by the said internal gears, and shafts for the saidpinions extending through the said internal gear and having theiropposite ends supported in the said uprights.

9. In a rolling mill drive of the class described, the combination of apair of spaced uprights arranged side by side and each having an annularbearing upon its inner face, a rotary wheel member having a hubrotatably mounted in the said bearings and having a central openingthrough the said hub and an internal gear formed in the inner wall ofsaid hub, one or more pinions meshing with the said gear and havingspindles upon twosides that are supported in bearings of the two saiduprights, and means for connecting both of said spindles with a rollingmill.

10. In a rolling mill drive of the class described, the combination witha large driving gear, of a pair of smaller gears driven thereby andarranged within the said larger gear, a pair of operating rolls each ofwhich is in longitudinal alinement with the said smaller gears, thepitch diameter of the said smaller gears being of a. larger diameterthan that of the operating rolls.

11. In a rolling mill drive of the class described, the combination of apair of small gears arranged side by side, a large gear surrounding andengaging the opposite and outer sides of the smaller gears, means forcoupling the small gears to a pair of operating rolls when arranged inlongitudinal alinement with the small gears, the said smaller gearsbeing of a larger pitch diameter than that of the rolls to be connectedtherewith.

12. The combination with a three high rolling mill having a pair ofoperating rolls and a friction work roll, of a pair of gears onearranged in longitudinal alinement with each of said operating rolls andadapted to drive the said rolls the said gears being of a larger pitchdiameter than that of the rolls, and an internal gear for operating thesaid pair of gears.

13. In a rolling mill drive of the class de scribed, the combination ofa pair of small gears arranged one above the other, a pair of operatingrolls arranged in longitudinal alinement with the small gears and beingof a smaller diameter than the pitch diameter of said small gears, and adriving gear connected to the outer and opposite sides of the said smallgears for operating the same and the rolls.

Signed at New Milford in the county of Litchiield and State ofConnecticut this 20th day of April A. D., 1914.

CHARLES JOHN GIBBONS. PERCY C. FARWELL.

Witnesses NELSON A. LATHROP, EMERY BoRIszA.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

